With more than 35,000 Australians from both world wars still without a known grave, and more than 230 WWII-era aircraft missing with their crews across Australia, it’s a poignant reminder of how much remains unresolved. Many of these fallen are commemorated on memorials across the globe: Lone Pine, VC Corner, Menin Gate, Villers-Bretonneux, El Alamein, and Lae among them. Others rest still entombed in lost ships, sunken aircraft, or lie in unmarked graves on distant fields.
But for a lucky few, this isn’t the end of their story.
Through meticulous research and battlefield archaeology, Fallen Diggers pieces together clues left behind – fragments of kit, forgotten reports, handwritten letters – anything that might bring identity back to the nameless. Their mission is clear: to research, locate and identify Australia’s missing service personnel and ensure they are given a dignified and honourable burial, and that their families, at long last, can say goodbye.
The outcomes tell the story. Since their inception, Fallen Diggers has positively located 47 missing soldiers, with another 100 cases under assessment. In 2022 alone, 16 rededication services were held in Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries across France and Belgium, each one giving a name and a story to the forgotten. Every rediscovered soldier brings comfort not just to family members, but to a nation grateful for their service.
Working alongside key national and international partners such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Australian War Memorial, and the Unrecovered War Casualties – Army, Fallen Diggers also supports investigations into WWII-era aircraft crash sites, several of which have recently revealed significant debris fields now undergoing further analysis.
Their vision is powerful in its simplicity: That all fallen Australian service personnel will have their name and a known burial.
As we reflect on the true meaning of service this Anzac Day, the work of Fallen Diggers reminds us that remembrance isn’t limited to a single day or ceremony – it is an ongoing commitment that those who served will never be forgotten, their stories will be uncovered, and their families will have the chance to say goodbye.
This work cannot continue without support. Donations are vital to help fund ongoing research, archaeological surveys, and the long and often complex identification process. To learn more or support the mission of Fallen Diggers, visit fallendiggers.com.au.
Lest we forget.
